After that meeting with their friends and master, Naruto felt that things were better. They didn't see him with pity for their experience, but they wanted the best for him.
Their training continues most of the day. Only in the early morning and in the evening he trains alone.
As always, today he was talking with Ego about his progress.
7 a.m.
Holding Ego in front of him, Naruto asked with curiosity.
"Ego, Why has the red grown so much? I didn't remember I had this amount." He was confused, the amount had increased at least 4-5 times since the last time.
[That's because your fountain devours part of the chakra you were radiating that day in Sasuke's house.]
Naruto was tossing and turning in his bed but those words made him stop. "Eh? Can I do that? And what are you talking about? I don't remember using my chakra that day, I was mad, and that's all."
[Your chakra responds accordingly to your emotions, if there was a strong impact on it, the chakra of the thing inside you would get out of control and try to annoy you. The Fountain can devour a part of it, but you aren't skilled at it, so the amount is low.]
"Mm this had happened before? And how can I improve the fountain? You haven't told me what else to do since that time."
[Yes, but you didn't remember it. You need to find out why and when it happened. Fine, If you satisfy my requirements, I will give you another method.]
"... There's nothing I can know in this place, uh. Tell me! I've been striving for it!" He said with a sullen face.
[Sadly it's so. Tell me, what's the amount of red you had and what's the amount you can control of the normal chakra?]
Moving the red through his body, Naruto started to feel the core on his chest.
"Ah-hehe. The red one is hard to increase, but since I'm training with Gai-sensei it increased faster. Now it's almost sixty times compared to when I got it for the first time. I've got a lot of time until I can fill the fountain."
Naruto has a better control of the red one and now it's almost the same amount Sasuke had, at least that's what he knows. But he didn't have any method to use it, the only use he had was to heal his body. It isn't as fast as a medical specialist, but he could do it whenever he wants.
"And this--" Moving his hand, he can clearly see it. "--At first I thought that it would be easy to control it." Shook his head, he continued. "But I couldn't be more wrong, this thing is increasing every day and continuing to try to tangle with my own; I can feel that I have a giant amount that belongs to me, but I can control less than a 1/10 part of it. And as it grows ever faster, I don't know when I'll be able to control it..."
Only the will to move it through his body can create a thin blue layer on the skin surface. The amount was so large that it almost exploded out of his body.
"And the last one--" as he spoke, his temperament changed, became more aggressive. "-- I can feel it since that day, but every time I try to control it, I can feel that the will inside it rejects me. It feels powerful but I can't control any part of it." The faint whisker-like marks he had on his cheeks became more prominent when he tried to use that chakra. When he dissipated it, they faded a little.
Ego was "watching him" the whole time. 'It's faster, but the beastification didn't make much progress...'
"Ego, what should I do with this?" Naruto was looking at him with expectation, he wanted to get other techniques or something like that; the things Ego taught him were really useful.
[I won't give you another jutsu, not now. You need to continue training but from now on, try to use the normal chakra more frequently and move as fast as you can inside your body. You can move it throughout your body, but it's slow. You need to get your body used to it; do it with the red one too.]
Ego projects an image from a human body, it's similar to Naruto's.
Making a circle in the parts, he started to explain it.
[Look, you've three types of energy inside you.
Blue chakra
Red chakra (meditation-Fountain)
Fox chakra
But you only can use them sparingly; you had almost 0 control in all of them. Don't complain, you can use the 'red' one but it took you time to move it and every time you use more than necessary but that's okay, you can improve it later. And don't worry about the fox, he can't do anything to you.
Just continue the training to increase the amount and get used to it. Once you can move it faster inside of you, we will try to use it outside. Move it with your will, okay? As if you wanted to do it. If you have extra time, continue to try to send it outside your body.]
"Ughh, fine! I will try it. Thanks, Ego." He complained but he will do it anyway.
Taking a deep breath, he spoke again.
"Ego, there's something I could do to help my friends or master?" He felt ashamed asking for that, but he wanted to help them.
[Aha, you can tell Sasuke and Hinata to test their elemental affinities. Sasuke had a great advantage with his mother, so he could progress faster with it; and tell him to try to use his eyes the whole time to get used to it, but be careful.
It will be more difficult with Hinata, but you can tell her to try practicing the Water element, be sure that she will practice it; and like Sasuke, tell her to use their eyes whenever she can and practice a melee weapon.
To your master... tell him to continue polishing his body, but also practice his control of the basic energies. When he is competent enough, tell him to ask his companion if he knows anything about the sages.]
After saying that, Ego fell silent.
Grabbing and hugging him, Naruto felt gratitude towards him.
"Thanks, Ego! I want to introduce you to them... But I know that I can't do it now, tell me when I can do it, okay?"
[Fine, there will be an opportunity to do it. Just grow strong and everything will be easy.]
"Mm! Just wait for me!"
As he said that, Naruto grabbed his bag and went straight to school.
He wanted to tell his friends and master the things Ego told him.
Since the Taijutsu training was done for him, Iruka was spending that time teaching them about the hand seals. That's the only thing that interests Naruto right now, nothing else at school draws his attention.
It's a theoretical lesson about how the hand seals can guide your chakra.
All jutsus need hand seals, and the more skilled you are, the faster you can perform them.
When the lesson ended and Iruka wanted to give the kids another dose of Will of Fire, Naruto stopped paying attention and started to meditate. No one asked what he was doing. Hinata and Sasuke were curious but embarrassed to ask about it.
Like that, the lesson ended and the kids went to the training campus.
Forming groups once more, they started their own training.
Calling them to come closer to him, he spoke.
"Later I will tell you something that could help you, don't say it to anyone, okay?"
"???" They were confused, but nodded to him.
The school day ended and everyone went home.
Naruto ate fast and went to the field, waiting for them.
Knowing that they may take a while to arrive, he started to meditate.
Twenty minutes later he felt his friends arriving at the field.
Opening his eyes, he saw his master beside him.
"Gai-sensei? When did you arrive?" Why couldn't he feel his master's presence today?
"Naruto, It was a while ago. I saw you doing that and I didn't want to bother you." Gai was watching him with curiosity, even after seeing him for more than a year he didn't know what his disciple was doing. He understands what meditation is, but not why his disciple practices it.
Turning his gaze in front of him, he saw his friends.
"I want to tell you something that could help you to be stronger. I asked my friend and he was sure about it." When they were closer, he spoke.
"Friend?" They were confused, as they knew Naruto didn't have any other friends apart from them.
"Mm, he taught me my transformation and meditation. He told me that this could help you." Naruto grinned.
Transformation? That thing is really powerful, but the pain is something that only a few could resist... Gai was the only one who knew that Naruto used to transform in other kids to buy food.
Now they feel curious, they have seen him doing that thing almost since they entered the school.
With eyes full of curiosity, they waited for Naruto's next words.
Remembering the things Ego told him, he asked Sasuke "First is Sasuke's turn. Sasuke, you know about the elemental affinities?"
"No" Sasuke shook his head
"Me neither." And Naruto did the same, without any shame.
...
Feeling that the atmosphere was awkward, he coughed to divert the attention and continue. "Well, Ego told me to tell you to prove it. That will help you to be stronger faster, ask your mother, she could help you."
"Fine. Thanks, Naruto."
"There's more, he said that you must use your eyes every time to get used to it. But you need to be careful."
He knew that I already had the sharingan? It's different from what my mother told me...
"I see, I will be careful but I need to ask my mother first."
"Okay. Next it's you, Gai-sensei."
"Me?" Gai didn't expect that his disciple friend had something to help him, but he wanted to know it, the transformation was enough to amaze him.
Naruto nods and tells him the same as Ego did. "Mm, he told me that you needto continue polishing your body, and practice your control of the basic energies. When you think that you are competent enough, ask your companion if he knows about the sages."
'Sages? Who are they? I guess I will, it's my friend disciple after all'
Gai smiled broadly, he felt glad that his disciple wanted to help him. "Okay. Thanks, Naruto. I will bring you with me when I meet the sages!"
"Hehe, I will wait for it then."
Turning to the girl, Naruto continued. "The last one is for you, Hinata. It's the same as Sasuke, find out what's your elemental affinities and use your eyes whenever you can and practice a melee weapon.
That will help you...But he told me that I need to be sure that you will do it." Staring at Hinata's eyes, Naruto asks. "Is there something wrong, Hinata? We can help you if you ask."
Hinata felt astonished, she didn't expect that Naruto would tell her something like that. A Hyūga using elements? a weapon? Both things are looked down upon in the clan. She knew that he told her those things to help her, but the clan rules pressure her all the time.
Hinata replied with a bitter smile. "Naruto-kun... I appreciate your help, but there's something that I can't do. Come, I want to tell you something.
Naruto felt worried seeing her like that; it was the same as the beginning of the year. Getting up, he followed her.
Gai and Sasuke just watching them, without moving from their places. She had called Naruto, not them.
Hinata slowly walked to the river.
Going down the stairs, she walked down the stairs to the riverbank and sat there, hugging her knees.
"You know, Naruto-kun? My clan felt like a cage for me. Since I can remember, everyone has been disappointed in me. It's hard to breathe when I was in that place, everything felt so hostile.
That's why I was so happy that you helped me. They called me white -eyed monster- Even though we were just children, their words hurt me. But you appeared and helped me even if you had your own problems."
"...You didn't defend yourself, at that moment I just wanted to help someone in a similar situation as me."
"Mm, no one helped me, but you did. Knowing that someone could help me, the days in the clan felt much lighter. That continues like that until we enter the school. I felt glad that we were in the same class; but things in the clan kept getting worse every month."
Burying her head in his arms, she continued. " I'm not as good as they expected in the clan arts. The straw that broke the camel's back was when my sister began to practice too. She was more talented and more decisive. I don't hate her, I was happy at that moment. But my father gets mad at me. I tried to be better, but I couldn't keep up with my sister."
Shaking her head, her voice was lower. "I don't have another option but to continue training but it wasn't enough. Our clan always despises the use of weapons or elements to fight, they think that the strongest art is to fight with our fists and eyes, and anything else is a betrayal of our roots.
I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. I know that you want to help me but I can't use it." At the end her voice broke a bit.
Seeing that someone is trying to help you but you're unable to accept their help is something she thinks would never happen to her. The impact was bigger after she knew about Naruto's situation, he had his own problems but still wanted to help his friends.
Naruto was silent, furiously thinking how he can help her in this situation. But nothing comes to his mind, going against the rules of her clan isn't something easy.
Why did they want everyone to learn the same things? Wouldn't that make their clan weaker than others? If there's no variety, what would happen if someone devised a measure against them? Wouldn't that make almost all of them useless?
Naruto was complaining, everyone in this village seemed to be so stupid. Then, an idea came to him.
"Hinata"
"Naruto-kun?"
Seeing her in such a state, Naruto quickly said "Since your clan rejects that, why don't you try first training with Gai-sensei? He has to have a way to prove your affinities and help with your training. We have time for it, just don't show it in your clan. We need to discuss the rest with Gai-sensei."
"That... could work, I guess. But that's only if Gai-sensei agrees to help me..."Taking her sad little face out of his arms, she looked at him.
Petting her head, Naruto walked to the field "If we talk to him, he would help you. Let's go, they're waiting for us.."
Mmm that feels nice...
Following him, Hinata felt a bit better.
When they arrived at the field, Maito Gai was training and Sasuke did the same with his shurikens.
Noticing that Naruto and Hinata had returned, they stopped.
"Gai-sensei, we need your help."
"Tell me, I would do anything to help kids with a strong youth like you!" Gai smiled broadly, his gleaming teeth on full display.
He didn't lose a chance to do that...
Erasing those thoughts, Naruto told him the situation.
Rubbing his forehead, he replied after thinking about it.
"I can help you with that. It would be hard to combine your clan arts with other fighting styles, but you can do it with time. You might use a weapon that fits your hands; swords, maces, hammers and others like that won't fit with your fighting style."
They were listening to him seriously, even Sasuke. He was considering using a weapon too.
Gai gestured to follow him "Come with me, at my house I have the tools and the things to prove your affinities."
"Why do you have that, Gai-sensei?"
"Ah-haha, I always wanted to have a disciple, so I was preparing things when the day came."
As they were talking, a few minutes later they arrived at Maito Gai's house.
Entering the house, they followed him until they were in front of a door. They saw a room full of training objects, weapons and boxes.
Gai grabbed a box and opened it. Taking three papers from it, he asks Sasuke.
"Sasuke, do you want to do it too? It's only using this sheet of paper."
"Sure. Thanks Gai-sensei."
"Good. Now, move your chakra to your hands, the sheet will attract a bit of your chakra and prove the affinity." He gave one to each.
The first one was Naruto. As he was able to canalize his chakra to his hands, the sheet reacted and cut in two. Naruto turned his gaze to his master.
"Your element is Fūton, Naruto. Now it's your turn, Sasuke."
In Sasuke's case the sheet wrinkled in one part and then burned.
Gai was surprised "Two affinities? That's rare, your main affinity is Raiton and the secondary Katon. Tell that to your mother, it isn't common for a Uchiha to have other affinity than Katon as their main. Your turn, Hinata."
The paper got wet instantly in response to her chakra.
"Water? It fits you. Don't get excited by it, I will train you in it when your chakra control is better. Now for the weapon."
Opening a chest, weapons were neatly organized.
He remained silent, giving them time to think.
A few minutes later, the kids were already watching all the weapons he had, not only those that were in the chest.
"Is there any weapon you like?"
"Yes! I want this!" Naruto excitedly pointed at a weapon on the wall. A giant weapon bigger than Naruto—a glaive.
"A Glaive?" Gai stared at his animated disciple.
Somehow it will work
"I want these." Sasuke grabs a Wakizashi pair, two short swords.
Why do those guys like these complicated things?
"These look cute." Hinata said as she put a pair of brass knuckles on her hands.
"Okay, guys. I will go with a blacksmith to personalize your weapons. Next week you can start your training with it, I will guide you for a while."
"For a while?"
"Mm, I'm not an expert in all weapons, when you learn the basics, I will help you to seek a specialist on it."
"Thanks, Gai-sensei."
As they were prepared to return to the field and training, Sasuke called them.
"... Want to go to my birthday?"
A smile appeared in all of them.
"Sure, count on us."
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Naruto knows how to continue with his training and try to help his friends and master, I like the weapons choice. What do you think?
It's obvious that Hinata didn't have the same talent as Neji in the clan arts, just go for another way.
She didn't tell anything about the seal or the incident with her uncle; it's something embarrassing for her.
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